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First Experiences with Hip-Hop

Issa Dash: “[Mine was] probably DMX like, “Stop. Drop. Shut ‘em down...”—"Ruff Ryders Anthem." That’s definitely the oldest hip-hop song I can remember, but I wasn’t really into it. It was just popping music at the time. The first time I really got into hip-hop I was probably 13 or 14 , when I started to enter the New York streetwear type of scene.

Everyone was listening to ‘90s rap, so I guess I felt obliged to listen it. I got into a little Hieroglyphics, a little Pharcyde, a little Souls of Mischief, and it’s funny that they say that’s who we remind them of, because the only rap era I stepped into was that one. - Issa Dash

“Early in the game, it wasn’t really about real trappy music. Everyone was listening to ‘90s rap, so I guess I felt obliged to listen it. I got into a little Hieroglyphics, a little Pharcyde, a little Souls of Mischief, and it’s funny that they say that’s who we remind them of, because the only rap era I stepped into was that one.

“I don’t know much about them. I just went and Googled ‘90s rap and those were the artists that came up: The Pharcyde, Hieroglyphics, and Souls of Mischief. Limewire had just come out so I downloaded the projects at the time. It was sick.

“In the streetwear scene, that’s where it would start out, wearing Jordans and doing that old school type of vibe. The same scene that’s going on right now that with A$AP, and us, and the Zombies, originally that’s [where that] whole scene evolved from. That New York [streetwear] scene, that was the time when all ‘90s rap was in. I mean, I was into it because I was supposed to be into it if that makes sense.”

I stopped listening to rap personally around the age of 14. After that, it was just no more rap. I’m not into rap, really [anymore]. Maybe friends and people on the come-up, like recent rap like ScHoolboy Q, A$AP Rocky, Ab-Soul, and Kendrick Lamar, but not really. I guess I probably left when rap was going downhill.” - Issa Dash

AK: “Yeah, it was around us. I listened to Nas. Outkast, too.”

Issa Dash: “Yeah, Outkast, definitely. [And Jay-Z’s] Blueprint. I remember jamming to Blueprint mad hard. I remember being into the whole Nas and Jay-Z beef. But I stopped listening to rap personally around the age of 14. After that, it was just no more rap. I’m not into rap, really [anymore]. Maybe friends and people on the come-up, like recent rap like ScHoolboy Q, A$AP Rocky, Ab-Soul, and Kendrick Lamar, but not really. I guess I probably left when rap was going downhill.”

AK: “Yeah, like after 50 Cent it went downhill.”

Issa Dash: “I love 50 Cent though, that’s hip-hop. After 50 Cent was definitely the end for me. The full, final end was 50 Cent.”